Pleinluna
by Rabiscar
Summary: UPDATED! The full moon irradiates the shadowy Hogwarts grounds, shedding light on secrets that had been veiled by the velvety night and illuminating students who had been kept in the dark. JP/LE with a touch of humour and drama. Rated T for language. R
1. Chapter One

_Disclaimer: All my base are belong to JK Rowling. _

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**Chapter One **

A heavy branch struck her face and she tasted blood. She whipped around, flinching away from the source of her pain. Her long red hair flew in front of her eyes and she doubled over, her hands sinking into the carpet of dead leaves on the ground. She started crawling, head bowed low, praying that she could find a way out of the tree's reach. Branches creaked and leaves brushed together to make a racket loud enough so that she could not hear the thud of hooves behind her. She pushed herself up off the ground and stood, preparing to make a run to safety. She dodged a falling bough and felt thin branches lashing against her neck. Ducking low, she side stepped one branch, only to be walloped by a second moments later. She flew back towards the trunk of the tree and landed in a heap at its roots. She groaned and sat up, gingerly feeling her ribs. She raised her eyes and gasped.

Standing before her was the stag. He towered over her, tall and broad with a sinewy strength to his thick torso. His antlers were so wide that she thought she could probably fit in the space between them. His hazel eyes were intelligent and almost _human_. She noticed all of this before she even had the chance to scream. She should have been frightened by the immense creature but the immediate danger associated with the beating she had just suffered at the hands of the tree effectively shadowed her fear of being trampled by the deer. As though in a daze, she reached out to touch his muzzle and as her hand met his soft fur, a tree branch swung down, knocking into her knees and sweeping her to the ground again. She clamoured to her feet and felt the stag nudge her shoulder. She turned toward him and she swore he gave the slightest flick of his head, as though inviting her to climb onto his back. With tree branches flailing all around her, she did not hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and pull herself up. Hugging him tightly, she gave his flank a soft pat to say she was ready to go. Immediately, he took off, accelerating quickly from a trot to full gallop, leaping, prancing and skirting past the violently waving branches. Branches thrashed against her back and she pressed her face into the stag's neck. A thick bough sliced through the air and cracked against the side of his head. The stag stumbled and the girl screamed as she felt the animal's legs give out from under her. Twisting and trying to stay upright, the stag fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. Panicking, the girl fumbled in her robes for a long, slender, willow wand and wondered why she had not thought of it earlier.

"_Locomotor deer!" _She cried, her voice swallowed up by the night.

The stag rose from the ground and began floating away. Branches swung down toward her and she ran to catch up with the injured creature ahead of her. Finally, when they were outside the reach of the swinging branches, she let the stag fall gently to the ground. Casting her wand aside, she knelt down next to him and let her hand fall softly against his head where a bump was surfacing and a small trickle of blood stained his fur. Her eyes traveled down to his hind leg which was bent at an unnatural angle. She was racking her brain to think of healing spells when she noticed a scraggly, gray rat scampering towards them. She jumped to her feet and the rat made a straight run towards the stag's head, squealing and squeaking as it ran.

"Shoo! Go away!" she yelped as she stomped toward the rodent.

It was at that moment that the stag started to change. Both the rat and the girl fell still and watched him. The antlers gave way to a shock of untidy black hair, the large hooves turned to feet, and instead of a furry torso there was a ripped t-shirt and jeans.

"James!" she exclaimed and knelt down next to him again.

"Erghh," he groaned and rolled onto his back. He opened his eyes and there she was, red hair hanging past her shoulders and her green eyes peering searchingly into his face.

"Lily, are you okay?" he asked and sat up, reaching towards her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said as his hand closed around her wrist. She was bruised and sore but it was nothing an ice bath would not fix. She had more pressing things to worry about. Like the fact that just a few moments ago this boy had been a deer. Or that he was still bloodied and beaten up.

"You're bleeding," she said in a high voice, "and I think your ankle's broken-"

"Wormtail!" James cut her off. "Where the fuck were you on that one, mate?" he yelled.

"What?" Lily asked in confusion and followed his gaze to the rat who was still sitting in the grass.

"You really left me hanging there, you couldn't come press the fucking knot in the tree like you're supposed to?"

"Potter, it's a bloody rat," she muttered furtively. "You were hit in the head, maybe you should lie back down," she said and pushed her hand against his chest, trying to force him down.

"Don't be a git, she already knows, just transform so you can help us out," James said irritably as he peeled Lily's hand from his chest.

Lily looked from James to the rat, waiting for it to do as James said and "transform". She watched in fascination as its fur fell away, paws grew to hands, and elongated snout shrank back into a nose.

"This is mad," she muttered as she recognized the boy before her as Peter Pettigrew.

James turned toward her and tightened his hold on her wrist.

"Lily I know this isn't what you expected-"

"That's an understatement," she grumbled.

"But we're not safe right now and I need you to just trust me, alright?"

Her steely glare passed over him and Peter, she had a million questions and it was just like Potter to act as if she were just a helpless child who needed to let the grown-ups handle things. She wanted to put her foot down and demand an explanation but his hold on her wrist was urgent and there were clearly a number of things going on of which she was unaware.

"Alright," she said reluctantly, not seeing much choice in the matter.

"Great," James sighed in relief. "We need to get out of here," he continued decisively, casting a nervous glance toward the forest. He tried to push himself to a standing position and fell back to the ground.

"Agreed," Lily said, "but you're not going anywhere fast. I think I should use _locomoter_ again."

"No," James protested flatly. "I can't transform when I'm being charmed."

"I didn't realize my wit had such an effect on you," Lily commented dryly. "Why would you need to transform anyway?" she asked, speaking seriously again. "We're just heading back to the castle and we'll be there faster if I can just-"

"We'll get there faster if we stop arguing," James growled. "Didn't you just say you would trust me? We'll have plenty of time to talk later," he insisted as he looked back over his shoulder.

Grudgingly, Lily hauled him up to his feet and tossed his arm over her shoulder while motioning for Peter to do the same.

"There better be one good explanation for this," Lily grumbled.

"There will be," James promised, wincing with each limped step. His head snapped up as the sound of insistent barking cut into the night air.

"Is that Sirius?" he asked and looked towards Peter.

"I think so," Peter huffed, "I told him to stay with Lupin."

"Why? What's going on?" Lily asked and glanced over her shoulder.

"Just keep moving," James said and tried to pick up the pace. His arm tensed around Lily's shoulder and she was shocked to feel him shaking against her. She wasn't sure if he was trembling from pain or fear but both options frightened her.

"Peter, do you think you can lift one leg, and I'll lift the other?" she asked.

Peter grunted his affirmation and together they scooped James up and started to shuffle forward as quickly as they could.

James whispered a string of obscenities as each movement sent a shot of pain up his leg.

"Almost there Potter," Lily gasped. Even with two people carrying, the six foot tall Quidditch player was a heavy load.

A long and drawn-out howl spiraled through the dark making Lily and Peter stop dead in their tracks.

"Sirius?" Lily asked tremulously.

"No," James whispered. "Run."

Peter lead them toward the hidden castle entrance as he and Lily half ran, half dragged James along. The barking was coming nearer and nearer as did the tortured, guttural howls. Lily's calves were aching and her lungs were fit to burst but she kept pulling, not daring to hazard a look behind her. Her wand was tucked into her pocket but she hoped to use every free hand to carry James so that she wouldn't be put in a position to actually have to _use_ the wand.

The animal was close. She could hear twigs snapping and leaves rustling behind them. They approached what looked like a small porthole in the castle wall. It was paned with a stain glass scene depicting a complex system of archways.

"This is it!" James panted.

"We won't fit!" Lily cried in a panic.

"Peter!" James barked.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" he griped and dug through his pockets for his wand.

"Hurry!" Lily yelped. She swore she could hear the beast's ragged breathing. She glanced over her shoulder as a shadow passed over her. It was far too dark to tell what it was but there was no doubt, the beast was upon them.

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A/N: I thought I'd try a bit of drama for once since I'm always writing silliness. I hope you like it but remember to tell me if you do or don't ;) Rabiscar.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is overlord to all that is here.

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**Chapter Two **

"_Patefacio_!" Peter bawled while making a slashing motion with his wand.

The porthole stretched and widened until only one life-size archway was visible in the stainglass window. Peter grabbed Lily by the scruff of the neck and charged through before Lily even had a chance to wonder about the logistics of shattering a circlet of glass with her body. To her surprise they passed through as a ghost would through a wall and landed in a heap on a dirty, dusty stone floor.

"_Claudo!_" Peter screeched as he simultaneously rolled onto his back and brandished his wand with a thrusting motion toward the opening. The window shrank back down to the size of a porthole and there was a distinctive thud as the beast struck the outer side of the stone wall.

Lily disentangled herself from the boys and clamoured to her feet.

"What _was _that thing?" she asked as she hunced over James with her hands rested on her knees. "You alright?" She nodded in his direction. James' hair was crusted with blood from the blow to his head and his face was screwed up in pain as he clutched at his unnaturally bent foot.

"_Fuck,_" he swore darkly under his breath as he shifted his leg with his hands. "Yeah it's alright, we'll fix it up once we've get up to the Tower," he winced as he tried to stand.

"Excuse me?" Lily asked in disbelief while hauling him up to his feet and supporting him from under the elbow. "You're going straight to the hospital wing."

"Listen mate, I'm sorry but you gotta get back out there to check on Padfoot," James ignored her.

Peter looked nervously toward the porthole before shifting his beady eyes back toward James.

"What about you?" he asked in a shaky voice, "Who's going to patch you up?"

"Lily can do that now, you need to go," James insisted impatiently. "You did good getting us here but you need to make sure that Moony and Padfoot are okay, I'd do it but I can't, its gotta be you."

Peter looked apprehensive but a flash of glowing pleasure crossed his face at the compliment. With a curt nod he transformed on the spot and scurried through a crack in the wall leaving Lily and James standing in the moonlight shining through the porthole.

James sighed and closed his eyes.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing," Lily repeated herself firmly.

"We can't," James said through gritted teeth.

"Well let's get a move on down this passageway and we'll row about it the whole way along," Lily said rolling her eyes and brandishing her wand to levitate James for the second time that evening.

"Argh!" James cried out. "Keep your wand steady, you're knocking me into walls all over the place!"

"It's not my hands, the passage is to narrow and the walls are uneven!" Lily protested before lowering him carefully to the ground. "We'll have to do this the hard way," she grunted and tossed his arm over her shoulder yet again. "It'll be slow going but you've got a lot of explaining to do anyway."

"There's nothing to explain," James said shortly as they hobbled toward a set of roughly cut stairs. "We're animagi and we were out for a bit of fun. What else is there to say?" he spat out.

"But that's really advanced magic," Lily intoned sceptically, "and I'm assuming you're not registered with the Ministry so it's illegal," she thought out loud.

"Right, which is why we're not going to the hospital wing," James nodded.

"We'll see about that," Lily said through gritted teeth. "And what the bloody hell was that thing following us?"

"I don't know," James said flippantly, staring hard at the wall. "He's chased us around before, he lives in the forest or something."

"So you became illegal animagi so you could go out every once in a while and romp with monsters from the forest," Lily said dubiously. "That's breaking about a million school rules _and_ the law _and_ is incredibly dangerous. You could get expelled or in legal trouble or killed. What are you hiding?" She demanded. "Not even you are that reckless."

"Reckless?" he exclaimed, "What the hell were you doing down by the forest all alone at midnight?"

"Nothing," she blushed deeply and turned away.

"Nothing?" he gaped at her. "You just fancied going for a late night stroll towards the most dangerous part of the grounds?"

"I guess so," she said lamely and staggered up the steps.

"Not fair, I told you my secret, you tell me yours," James persisted adamantly.

"Alright, alright," she conceded, "I needed to collect some ingredients for some er- extracurricular potion-brewing," she said shamefacedly.

While she was not worried about what James would think of this blatant rule breaking, she _was_ worried about what he'd say if he discovered her illicit potion making included an as of yet uncompleted concoction of Amortentia.

She wasn't interested in serving the potent love potion to anyone; she merely wanted to smell it. Ever since sitting in Slughorn's class and breathing over the brew, she had been captivated by the curious scents she could detect. There was the pine tinged smoky smell that reminded her of Hogwarts, a hint of lavender that reminded her of home and a whiff of brown sugar and oatmeal. While she found these scents to be untroubling, there was another scent that was familiar yet unidentifiable. She had caught only a fleeting whiff of it when sitting in class yet it had nettled her ever since. How could she find the scent so attractive and yet be unable to recognize it? She only wanted to breathe deeply over a vat of Amortentia so as to solve the tantalizing mystery it presented- but she didn't expect James Potter to understand that.

"You're brewing potions outside of class?" James asked with more glee than one would expect from someone in such considerable pain. "I don't know whether that's rebellious or just especially nerdy," he mused to himself. "But still," his eyes snapped back into focus, "that doesn't explain why you needed to be out on your own at night!"

"I was collecting crawling Pleinluna," Lily huffed. James was becoming heavier with each step they climbed.

"Come again?"

"Crawling Pleinluna," she repeated impatiently. "It's a creeping vine that only blooms under a full-" she stopped suddenly and stared at James in a daze.

"What?" he asked nervously after several moments of silence.

"Moon," she finished breathlessly.

"What'd you say?" he swallowed, horrified.

"It only blooms under a full moon," she whispered. "That thing- Remus- werewolf," she strung together in a shaking voice. In the half light he could see her wide, green eyes roaming over every inch of his face, reading it for answers.

"What?" He forced a laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"It fits. It all fits perfectly. The full moon was tonight. Your stupid nicknames! Moony- werewolf, Padfoot- dog, Wormtail- rat, Prongs- deer," she professed under her breath as her eyes flitted shiftily in their spheres.

"Stag," James corrected her softly.

"What?"

"I'm a stag," he sighed in resignation.

She stared at him stonily waiting for some kind of protest or explanation but the only action from him was a hand pushing slowly through his hair.

"I can't believe this," she hummed after a moment's silence. "I can't believe I didn't see it before, I can't believe you've been covering this up for so long!"

"We had to cover it up Lily, can you imagine what would happen if this got out?" he asked her gravely. "He'd be run out of Hogwarts, nobody would want anything to do with him. Don't you see? We _had_ to protect him. And now _you_ need to protect him."

Lily bit her lip and stared fixedly at the wall before sliding her eyes back to James.

"Are you the only ones who know?" She asked.

"Dumbledore knows," James said. "It's thanks to Dumbledore that Remus is here at all. You'd be hard pressed to find another wizard who would give him a chance."

"Does Dumbledore know that you three are animagi?" she asked.

"No," James admitted. "I know its irresponsible and unfair to Dumbledore after all he's done," James trailed off and seemed to forget Lily was there for a moment. "But we couldn't let Remus go through this alone."

Lily stood stock still and let these revelations sink in. She was suddenly grateful that the narrow passage was so dark because she could feel her eyes stinging and welling over with unsought emotion. Feeling stupid, she wiped her face on her sleeve and tightened her hold around James' middle.

"C'mon," she mumbled. "Let's keep moving."

"That's it?" he asked in surprise.

"What do you mean?" she cocked her head in confusion.

"We just keep moving along?"

"Well yeah," Lily said slowly, "He's still Remus, isn't he? And you're still you, you still got that busted leg we need to fix," she said staring down at it appraisingly. "That's gonna be a fiasco by the way. I've never healed a broken bone before but it's not as if we can go to Madam Pomfrey about it, can we?"

James stared at her dumbfounded, his mouth agape and forehead creased.

She moved as if to start walking again but caught sight of the stupefied look on his face.

"What? C'mon, we've got things to do," she said waving a hand toward the steps looming in front of them.

"I just can't believe you took this so well," he pronounced, shaking his head as though to clear it.

"I'm a muggleborn, remember? Feeling misunderstood and alienated comes with the territory. I'd be a right hypocrite if I preached tolerance and acceptance for my personal minority but didn't dole out the same treatment for others," she said in a slightly patronizing tone. "And yeah it downright disturbs me that you're an illegal animagus and have broken just about every rule there is," she wrinkled her nose in distaste, "But that's your best mate out there and if I were in your spot, I can't say that I wouldn't want to do the same," she finished resolutely.

He gazed at her with unmasked admiration for a moment causing her to shuffle her feet uncomfortably. At a loss for words he bent over and leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathing a heavy sigh.

"Thank you."

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AN: I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter Three is on its way. Please don't forget to review. Rabiscar.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I will possess your heart but I will never possess Harry Potter or any of its affiliates.

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**Chapter Three **

She moved across the room and sat in the windowsill, looking out over the grounds as James lit the lantern on his bedside table. She pressed her face against the glass and peered out, her eyes raking in the full moon hanging in the sky and the dotted tree line down below. The Whomping Willow stood ominously but still and she perceived no movement at its roots.

"Are you looking for them?" James asked as he hobbled toward her. His leg was still stiff. Lily had managed to fix it but her work was not as neat as Madam Pomfrey's would be. "You won't see them," he said as he gazed out the window. "They're probably holed up in the Shrieking Shack by now."

"The Shrieking Shack. . ." Lily trailed off thoughtfully. "The ghosts, those sounds- that was Lupin?"

"Yeah, that's where the tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow goes," James explained. "It's where Moony transforms. Usually we're pretty safe if we stick to the tunnel, the shack or the forest. I mean, who in their right mind would go near those places?" he asked with a smirk.

"Pleinluna only sprouts in the undergrowth of trees with magical properties," Lily said defensively, "I thought that the Whomping Willow was a safer option than anything in the forest."

"Pleinluna," James muttered. "I swear I've heard of it before," he said and walked away to sit on his bed.

"Probably not," Lily lied and hopped down from the windowsill. "Its pretty obscure."

"Yeah, so what were you doing with it?" he asked as he cracked open his potions text book. "Which of these were you making?" he asked as he flicked through the pages.

"Er, none of them, it wasn't in that book," she said, her face reddening.

He looked up at her and grinned.

"Liar," he said softly.

"Am not," she shook her head, sending her hair flying.

"Let's see," he said and ruffled several pages, his eyes moving quickly over the words. "Ah, here it is! Glossary," he pulled a face, "I should have thought of that- hey!" he shouted as the book zoomed out of his grasp into Lily's outstretched hand. She smirked in spite of herself; non verbal spells had turned out to be useful after all.

"You ripped my book!" James cried out indignantly as one of the pages remained curled up in his tightened fist. "Expelliarmus!" he said suddenly and deftly caught her wand out of the air.

"Pleinluna," he smiled in a satisfied way as he consulted the crumpled page in his hand. "A magical flower that only blooms under a full moon. Thrives when grown in conjunction with magical arbours. Its most common use is as an active agent in Amortentia as it lends qualities of fleeting, powerful beauty to the obsessive love that the potion creates." James looked up in shock. "Amortentia?" he spluttered in disbelief.

"No!" Lily said adamantly. "Well, yes," she relented under his dubious stare. "Alright, fine, I'm making Amortentia," she admitted and threw up her hands. "But I'm not going to give it to anyone, that'd be pathetic," she snorted. "I just want to smell it," she admitted sheepishly.

"Smell it?" he asked, his eyes crinkling in confusion, "Merlin, Evans I know it smells good but that seems like a lot of effort."

"No, you don't get it," she shook her head and start pacing the room. "There was something in there," she said unintelligibly. "Some scent that I couldn't recognize," she looked at him uncertainly. "Isn't that odd? Shouldn't I be able to identify every scent?"

"I guess so," he shrugged. "The first time I smelt Amortentia I knew exactly where each scent came from," he said ruefully. "Spearmint, toasted pumpkin, leather, and-" he hesitated. "Lavender," he finished quietly, shooting her a piercing look that went altogether unnoticed.

"I smell lavender too!" Lily cried excitedly. "My mom planted it all along the walkway leading up to our house so I think it just reminds me of home," she prattled. "But it also has some calming, relaxing qualities, so I always put on lavender cream before tests or ex-" she faltered and looked up to see him staring at her pointedly.

"Oh," she muttered in embarrassment and looked away. "Well where did the other scents come from," she asked after an awkward silence.

"There's a lot of wild spearmint growing around the edge of the forest," James smiled. "And I've spent my fair share of full moons galloping through it. My mom bakes me pumpkin pie whenever I go home and Hogwarts always has jack-o-lanterns suspended in the Great Hall at Halloween time. The leather is from Quaffles and Quidditch gloves," he grinned. "What do you smell?"

She settled down next to him on the edge of the bed and described the wood fire smoke, brown sugar and oatmeal which dominated her olfactory senses when leaning over a brew.

"And then of course there's the lavender and the mystery smell," she finished.

"Hmm," he said and inclined his head thoughtfully. "You really can't tell anything about it? What does it smell like?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, "it's kind of a soapy, clean smell," she mused. "I think I've smelt it in the Great Hall or in the Common Room."

"Well you're welcome to go snooping in our bathroom and sniff through all of the soaps and shampoos to find a match," he smiled.

"No thanks," she crinkled her nose, "somehow I don't think I'll find it there," she said gently.

He snickered in response and checked his watch.

"It's late," he said, "You should go get some sleep."

"Are you going to bed?" she asked in surprise.

"Eh, I'll probably wait up for them," he grimaced. "I can't sleep in an empty dorm," he mumbled more to himself than to her.

"I'll wait up with you then," Lily shrugged. "Besides, I want to be here when Remus gets back. I don't want him to think . . ." she trailed off.

James blinked in surprise but nodded his head in understanding before he stood to fiddle with the dials on an old wizarding wireless. A soft acoustic melody drifted out the speakers and James flopped down on his pillows looking relaxed for the first time that evening. Lily curled up in the opposite corner of the bed with her legs tucked underneath her and her head leaned against the wall. They spoke in low voices until they both fell asleep in the half light listening to the warbling of the wireless.

When Lily woke a few hours later the sun was streaming through the window and her neck was sore. James was still asleep, his mouth slightly open and arm buried underneath his pillow. Quietly she rose to her feet and tip toed to the washroom which was bright and airy in the morning sun. She splashed water on her face and nearly choked when she try to jettison bubbles into her open mouth with her wand. She shook out her long red hair and peered over her shoulder to make sure James was still sleeping before drawing back the shower curtain. She picked up a bottle of shampoo and gingerly sniffed it before replacing it back on the tub ledge. She did the same with a bottle of conditioner, a soggy bar of soap and a half-empty bottle of cologne she found on the counter. She was about to open the cupboard door when she heard a thump in the bedroom. She turned with a start and slid across the floor to the doorway.

"Oi, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked, supporting a weak looking Remus.

"Waiting for you," Lily replied and cast a nervous eye toward James who was stirring from his bed and standing up in his crumpled clothes.

"Prongs," Sirius hissed out of the corner of his mouth, "how much does she know?"

"I can hear you," Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms impatiently.

"Everything," James exhaled.

"Everything?" Sirius said sharply and released his hold on Remus, staring from Lily to James and back again.

Peter surveyed the scene over his fingernails uneasily but remained silent.

"Yeah," James said grimly, "But it's alright, she's fine, right Evans?"

Lily took a step towards Remus and he eyed her wearily, looking for some kind of change. She wanted to say something reassuring but could think of nothing so instead she reached out and embraced him. Behind Lily's back, Sirius met James' eye and James gave a curt nod. Moved beyond words, Remus extricated himself from Lily's hug but clasped her hand firmly and gave her a meaningful look.

"Atta girl, Evans," Sirius said approvingly and clapped her on the back. "How're you?" He nodded toward James.

"I've been better," James grinned, "But Lily patched me up okay and I had a decent sleep."

"Like hell you did," Sirius muttered under his breath and shot a furtive look toward Lily. James gave a very tiny shake of his head and beamed Sirius a warning look.

"Its quarter past eight," Peter said looking at his wristwatch, "We should get a move on if we want to grab some breakfast before Transfiguration."

"You're going to class?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Yeah, aren't you?" James asked in surprise.

"Well yeah, but I don't cut class, you lot do all the time," she said.

"It'd look a little suspicious if we all skipped class every morning after a full moon," Sirius explained.

"Not to mention we'd be alarmingly behind in our studies," James chimed in brightly.

"Dibs on the shower," Remus called and headed toward the bathroom.

"Dibs after Moony!" Sirius and James sang simultaneously.

"You had all night to shower! You should have to wait now!" Sirius complained as he wrestled out of his shirt.

"He'll be in his skivvies in a minute so you should probably head out," James turned toward Lily.

She scowled at him and grumbled something under her breath as she turned out the door.

"Unless you wanted to stay and look?" Sirius yelled after her.

"Shut_ up _Padfoot," James muttered followed by a loud thump. "Meet us back up here in half an hour," he called.

She shook her head and a smile broke across her face as she made her way down the stairs to the Common Room. She barely noticed the strange looks she was attracting from students who saw her exiting the boys' dormitory. She showered, siphoned her hair dry and changed into her school robes, but it was a marvel she was even able to put her shoes on the right feet given that she was so deep in thought. These boys would do anything for each other. They'd go to any lengths. Their bond was stronger than any she had seen forged between friends. And now, whether she wanted to be or not, she was part of it. Bonded to them by the secret they shared. She was obligated to protect them. The responsibility was weighty but it was one she took willingly. For a seventeen year old pupil there was no nobler cause.

Lily skipped back up the stairs to their dorm and knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Sirius swung open the door as he shrugged into his robes.

Peter was bent over tying up his shoes and Remus was wedging textbooks and parchment into his book bag.

"Where's Potter?" she asked.

"In there," Peter jerked his thumb toward the open bathroom door.

"Putting on his make-up," Sirius rolled his eyes.

Smirking, Lily stepped in the doorway to see James standing at the counter in front of the mirror. He had a towel around his neck with foam coating his cheeks and a razor poised carefully in his hand.

"Why don't you just use magic?" she asked, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"It's kind of a scary charm to use if you get it wrong," he said. "I guess I could cut myself with the razor too but I trust my hand more than my spell work," he said. "Besides, you get a smoother finish with shaving cream than with trimming charms."

"Shaving cream," she said slowly in dawning comprehension and inhaled deeply, a dreamy smile coming to her face.

"Yeah," he said giving her a strange look. "What am I the only wizard you know who does it manually?" he shook his head in bemusement and rinsed the cream off his face before patting it dry with his towel. "I hope we're not too late for French toast," he muttered as he buttoned up the top of his shirt and tightened his tie.

"Better get a move on," she said as she shook herself out of her reverie.

"Alright, let's go," James turned toward her. "Hey, did you manage to collect your pleinluna last night or did you lose it on the way to the castle?"

"No I didn't get any, I think I chucked it away as soon as the tree started moving, I nearly had a heart failure."

"All that for nothing, huh?" James said as they exited the bathroom.

"I wouldn't say that," Lily murmured to herself.

"Are you still going to try to make the Amortentia?" he asked. "You could try again next month, we could keep Lupin in the Shrieking Shack long enough for you to collect the pleinluna safely," he offered.

"Thanks but I'm going to give up on the Amortentia," she smiled. "I don't really need it after all."

END.

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A/N: This story took off in a way I hadn't anticipated but I think it went in a better direction than I had originally intended. I hope you liked it, R&R to let me know. Thanks to those who supported me with reviews, favourites and story alerts, you made my week :) Rabiscar.


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